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JLPT N4Verb Forms

ておく— Do in Advance / Leave as Is

Indicates doing something as preparation for a future event, or intentionally leaving a situation in its current state.

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Pro lessonUNIT 76 · VERB FORMS

Structure · 形

[Verb te-form] + おく

Examples · 例文

  • 旅行前にホテルを予約しておいた。

    Ryokou mae ni hoteru o yoyaku shite oita.

    I booked the hotel in advance before the trip.

    予約して + おいた = booked ahead (for later use)

  • ドアを開けておいてください。

    Doa o akete oite kudasai.

    Please leave the door open.

    開けて + おいて = leave it in the open state (on purpose)

  • 友達が来る前に、部屋を掃除しておきます。

    Tomodachi ga kuru mae ni, heya o souji shite okimasu.

    I'll clean my room in advance before my friend comes.

    掃除して + おきます = clean ahead of time (as preparation)

Usage notes · 注意

  • Casual contraction: ておく → とく; ておいた → といた (very common in speech).
  • Preparation sense: 予約しておく (reserve in advance).
  • Leave-as-is sense: 開けておく (leave open on purpose).

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ておく is tested against.

vsてある

ておく is the ACTION of preparing/leaving something (予約しておく = I'll book it ahead). てある is the resulting STATE (予約してある = it has been booked).

vsてしまう

ておく = do it deliberately for future benefit; てしまう = complete an action, often accidentally or regretfully — different intent.

More verb forms

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